Just One of the Guys: Alternate Chapters
by Elianna22
Summary: A series of alternate chapters and chapter endings from the story folder for "Just One of the Guys." Pretend these are the deleted scenes and director's commentary on the DVD version. Zack x Bailey, Cody x Addison. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: Earliest Drabbles

**A/N: Inspired by tiger002's lost chapters for **_**Separated, but not Apart**_** and because I am the kind of film geek who buys DVDs just for the deleted scenes and director's commentary, I have decided to post some alternate chapters and chapter endings for **_**Just One of the Guys**_** from my story folder. I hope these will keep you amused while I write the sequel. My creative partner/boyfriend and I have come up with about 10 years' worth of ideas for the gang. The hard part now is working everything out so that you guys won't be disappointed with this sophomore effort. But I can tell you that there's plenty of drama, romance, adventure, and humour in store for all your favourite characters, plus more brotherly love (of course :).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the **_**Suite Life**_** franchise. But if this screen-writing course I'm taking goes well, that could change someday :)

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**Just One of the Guys: Very First Drabbles

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_Below are the very first drabbles for the story, including the original plot in a nutshell. I had planned to write the story from multiple POVs before I settled on a first-person narrative from Bailey's POV. _

**Lady Looks Like a Dude [working title, a play on Aerosmith classic "Dude Looks Like Lady"]**

**Summary:** In the first episode of "The Suite Life on Deck" our familiar gang meets Bailey Pickett, a young man from the Midwest who happens to be Zack Martin's new room-mate. Unbeknownst to everyone, Bailey is actually a girl. All the girls' spots at Seven Seas High are taken and she is desperate to escape the crushing monotony of Kettlecorn, Kansas. Sea school is her only hope. It doesn't take long for Zack to discover the truth, but he decides that keeping her secret is definitely in both of their interests (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

By the end of the episode, the gang has fallen headfirst into a hot tub, exposing Bailey's true identity. But what if she hadn't fallen? What if someone had pushed her out of the way (for selfish reasons, of course)? What hi-jinks would have ensued?

First Drabble

"There's an exit!" yelled Zack, as the alarm continued to wail. Zack, Cody, Bailey, and London crashed into each other as they rushed towards the door marked with a big red Exit sing.

"Rich girl first!" bellowed London, hurling herself at the door. Her gigantic white purse thwacked Bailey in the stomach, knocking the wind out her. The door flew open, and the three others tumbled through leaving Bailey dazed and sprawled on the deck.

"Aaaargh!" "Aaaaahhhhh!" Splash! And then: "Why is the ocean so hot?" London, Zack and Cody had obviously fallen into the hot tub on the deck below. Shouts and splashing continued until Mr. Moseby's pompous tones interrupted the commotion. _[Note to draft: forgot what he said... something about the test?]_

Bailey raised her head gingerly, hoping nothing was broken. Her hair was flopping into her eyes. _Oh no, my hat!_ She reached out and felt around, sighing with relief as her fingers connected with her baseball cap. She quickly stuffed her hair back under the hat and got to her feet. _Whew, that was close_...

"Hey, where's Bailey?" That sounded like Cody.

"I'm up here!" she called out in what she hoped was a manly voice. "Be down in a sec!"

Bailey must have taken a wrong turn on the stairs because instead of arriving at the Sun Deck, she found herself at the Seaside Promenade. By the time she found her way back to the cabin, she had forgotten all about the hot tub mishap.

The room was empty. _I wonder if Zack and the others got in trouble_, she thought, remembering the hot tub incident now.

She had just sat down on her bed when she heard "Hey, sweet thang!"

Bailey whirled around and there stood Zack, dripping in a towel, obviously fresh out of the shower. Her mouth dropped open, he looked so hot standing there in front of her. He was a lot more muscular than she had expected and wet hair was definitely a good look for him.

"So..." He stood in front of her expectantly, hands on his towel-wrapped hips, blue-green eyes smirking at her. "Did you get lost?"

"Uhhh..." Bailey's tongue was stuck, and she thought she felt a trail of drool make its way down her chin. She could feel the blush spread across her cheeks and knew that Zack could see it, too. "Um... I..."

Then he was sitting next to her on the bed, and the space between their faces was rapidly shrinking.

Second Drabble

_Starts with twins saying good-bye in hallway_

_Zack's POV_

"Well, this is my room," I say to my twin brother Cody as we stop in front of Cabin 8-102.

"I guess this is it." Cody turns to me. His cabin is 8-101.

I have to agree. "After 15 years we're finally going our separate ways." Up until now we shared room at the Tipton Hotel where we lived with our mom. This is the end of an era.

"I'll miss you," says Cody. I hope he's not going to cry. He's way too emotional.

"I'll miss you, too." I hold out my hand. But I'm NOT going to miss his annoying neat-freak habits.

Cody shakes my hand, and then we turn around and open our respective cabin doors.

The cabin is pretty small, with two beds, two desks, and some shelves. I start digging through my suitcase, flinging clothes in every direction. At last I'm free to make a mess without Cody's constant complaining.

Suddenly the door opens, and in walks my new room-mate. "Yo, I'm Bailey Pickett," he announces. Looks like a cool dude.

"Hey, brosef, what's going on? I'm Zack Martin." I reach out to fist-pound Bailey in a friendly greeting kind of way.

He lets out a girlie shriek and pulls away. Oh no, I'm living with another wuss.

Then Bailey seems to recover himself. "Oh, right, fist pound." He returns the gesture and sets down his suitcase.

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**A/N: So there you have the very first drafts of JOotG. I am returning to the multiple POVs plan for Part 2 of the sequel, and am looking forward to the challenge of getting inside other characters' heads. Please feel free to review these alternate chapters. I always appreciate your feedback, and your ideas have been more than incredibly helpful since Day 1! Xoxoxo – Ellie **


	2. Chapter 2: Original Beginning

**A/N: Here is the very first version of the Prologue. It came to me in the middle of the night, about five months after I wrote the earliest drabbles, and I had to get out my laptop and start typing on my pillow. This version contains a few different details from the final published version. I had intended for Zack and Bailey's relationship to be more serious prior to the big break-up, and for her main worry to be that the novelty of a secret relationship was wearing off for him.

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**Just One of the Guys: Original Prologue

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When I was 10, my family went on our first and only vacation, a trip to New Orleans. This included a boat ride in the Mississippi Delta. I was terribly seasick from the moment we stepped on the steamship and had a really rotten time. But that experience didn't stop me from applying to Seven Seas High six years later. I was desperate to get out of Kettlecorn and high school on a cruise ship seemed like my only escape route.

And now here I was on the _S.S. Tipton_, thousands of miles away from Kansas, somewhere in the middle of the South Pacific, in a 12x12 cabin that I shared with my boyfriend Zack Martin. Not bad for a 16-year-old girl from the boonies, right? I hadn't even been seasick once. No, the queasy feeling in my stomach had nothing to do with seasickness.

I looked over at Zack, who was sprawled on his back in the bed next to mine, snoring as usual. He looked so cute, with moonlight through the porthole highlighting his snubbed nose and full adorable lips. I didn't even mind the snoring, to be honest. Growing up in a houseful of brothers, I'm pretty used to snoring. At least Zack doesn't cut the cheese in his sleep like Woody, who lives across the hall.

Zack and I have been together for three months now, since the very first day of school. He is my first love. Yet lately I've been wondering if Zack is more in love with sneaking around than with me. We are having, for all intents and purposes, a secret torrid affair, behind the backs of everyone here at Seven Seas High. Zack's a great guy and a lot of fun to be with, but he's not exactly Mr. Sensitive and he's a terrible student.

If only he were more like Cody.

This statement is troubling for so many reasons. The first being that Cody is Zack's twin brother. The second being that Cody also happens to be Woody's room-mate (especially troubling for Cody). Thirdly, Cody thinks I'm a boy. Fourthly, so does everyone else at Seven Seas High—well, except for Zack, that is.

How did my life become such a soap opera? Sometimes I feel like I, Bailey Pickett, am starring my own personal version of the _Cruise of Deception_. Where do I even begin?

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**A/N: Based on this Prologue, the main arc of the story would have taken place in India instead of the Caribbean. I changed the location because I've never been to India and felt I might not be able to write about it realistically.**

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**A/N: Before deciding to stick to a traditional Alternate Universe concept, I drafted mainly original dialogue for the events leading up to the hot tub incident, plus a few different plot turns. Here is what that would have looked like.

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**Just One of the Guys: Original Chapter 1

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If you've ever lived in a small town, you know that suffocating feeling of wondering if you'll ever see go or see anywhere else. That's exactly how I felt as tenth grade drew to a close. Aside from those three days in New Orleans, I had spent all 16 years of my life in Kettlecorn, Kansas, a town so small that if you blink while passing you'll find yourself caught up in the hustle and bustle of Kettlepod. School was boring, my boyfriend Moose irritated me with his possessiveness, and the summer—not to mention the rest of my life—stretched out before me as an endless blur of hog swilling and corn shucking.

The day I found the Seven Seas High brochure in my guidance counsellor's office, I knew it was time for a major change. With my 4.0 grade point average, I easily qualified for a scholarship. The only program was, all the girls' spots were filled. But I didn't let that stop me. I simply applied as a boy, told Moose to stuff it, and two months later I was off to sea school with a suitcase full of hoodies, jeans and baseball caps belonging to my brother Cliff.

Zack was already there when I arrived at Cabin 8-102. He appeared to be unpacking—if this meant flinging stuff randomly. "Yo, I'm Bailey Pickett," I announced in my gruffest voice, as a towel sailed past my head. "S'up?"

As soon as he turned around, I knew my plan was in trouble.

I had _not_ expected to have a hot roommate—I mean that only happens in lame teen rom-coms, right? But no, Zack was definitely hot. Shaggy blond hair, dreamy blue-green eyes, and a smirky smile that lit up his whole face. I even remember what he was wearing that first day—a grey robot t-shirt, baggy black shorts, and high-top sneakers.

"Hey, brosef, what's going on?" He walked over to me, sidestepping piles of clothes and other assorted junk. The cabin was tiny so he didn't have far to go. "Zack Martin." Then he whipped out a fist.

And just like that I shrieked and jumped away. I have no idea what made me think my new roommate was about to hit me. All I can plead is temporary hot guy–induced insanity.

Zack stared at me. Up close, he was even more attractive. Then I realized what was going on. "Oh, right, fist pound." I knocked my fist against his in what I hoped was an aggressive way. He seemed to buy it.

I dumped my suitcase onto the bed that wasn't covered with stuff. "What a mess," I couldn't help exclaiming. With five brothers, I'm used to mess, believe me. But this was extreme.

"You're not one of those neat freaks, are you?" Zack demanded, his voice tinged with disgust. "I've lived with one before." This caused him to shudder. In a very sexy way.

"No, I... I just like to be able to see the floor." I was actually relieved. Maybe Zack and I would turn out to be complete opposites. I'd always thought the "opposites attract" theory was hogwash.

"Well, maybe you should live with my twin brother Cody, across the hall."

Oh great, there were _two_ of them. How would I ever be able to concentrate on my schoolwork with double the distraction? But maybe they were fraternal twins. If Cody was the plain one, I'd be totally OK with trading roommates.

"Cody irons his socks, sprays everything with disinfectant, flosses between every bite," Zack continued. "He even carries a pocket parachute—and a back-up pocket parachute. I swear, if we weren't identical, nobody would ever believe we're related."

_Of course_ they were identical. Well, good thing I'd swiped that curtain from Great Aunt Dixie. Whoever I ended up rooming with, I was going to need it.

"Dude, what is _that_?" Zack asked when I pulled out the massive white curtain.

"Can't a guy have some privacy?" I barked, sounding nastier than I'd meant to. I was still trying to get my head around the fact that I'd be spending the next eight months living in a shoebox with one half of a pair of hot twins, while trying to maintain my 4.0 grade point average.

"Whatever, dude." Zack walked out then, shutting the door loudly behind him. I flopped down on my bed, trying to organize my flustered, racing thoughts. On top of it all, had I already hurt Zack's feelings? This masquerade was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

[***]

Turns out I needn't have worried about offending Zack. The guy rarely lets anything get him down; he is just that laidback.

When we met up at dinner a couple of hours later, Zack was totally cool toward me. That was when he introduced me to Cody. Zack and Cody don't actually look exactly alike. Cody is slightly taller and thinner than Zack, more cute than hot. Just as Zack described, he's also dorky and kind of awkward. Right away I could picture us as tension-free roommates.

We all went up to the game room up on the Lounge Deck after dinner—Zack, Cody and his roommate Woody, and London Tipton, Zack and Cody's close friend from Boston, whose father happens to own the ship. A fact of which she keeps reminding us constantly. London is also the only student at Seven Seas High to have her own suite.

Cody and Woody were already having issues. Woody is a lumbering goofy guy with a bushy 'fro, a wacky sense of humour and a penchant for farting classic rock songs. Woody is also a slob of Zack-like calibre. Prim, proper Cody was clearly suffering.

"No, for the eighty-seventh time, and I _have_ been counting, I do NOT want to hear you fart "Stairway to Heaven," Cody moaned, slumping against the pinball machine as Woody raved about his "talents."

For a moment, I actually wished I had gotten Woody as a roommate. Zero sexual tension there. Five brothers means marathon farting is another thing I'm plenty used to. Just pop a clothespeg on your nose, and you're good to go.

"Hey, Cody," I began, remembering my earlier conversation with Zack. "Zack and I were talking about trading roommates and–"

Zack chose that moment to thrust a pool cue in my face. "Dude, you play?" he asked, with a grin such that I had to force my knees not to wobble.

"Hell, yeah!" I enthused, careful to sound tough and masculine. Pool is one of my favourite games. Moose sulked every time I beat him. He was such a sore loser. It was one of the things that bugged me most about him.

Yet my skills were no match for Zack's. He started to clear the table on me from the first shot. With Cliff's hoodie hanging low over my forehead and Zack executing impressive shots from every angle, I just couldn't focus.

Zack's pool sharking soon caught the attention of a group of girls who had wandered into the games room. "Hey, babe," he drawled, winking at a brunette. She giggled.

A surge of irrational jealousy caught me off guard. Of course, Zack was just the type to be a ladies man.

"Watch this." He lined up a particularly complicated shot. The nine-ball banked off a side and sank. Brunette and her two friends cheered.

Suddenly I disliked all three girls. I didn't want Zack to flirt with them—or any girl for that matter, I realized with a sinking feeling in my stomach. But of course, he couldn't flirt with _me_. And I didn't want him to._ Obviously_. I mean, I was here on the _S.S. Tipton_ to _be_ a boy, _not_ to flirt with boys.

All hell broke loose shortly after that. Zack, Cody, London and I were in deep into a race car game with headsets when a test of the emergency procedures began. We didn't hear the test announcement, only the ship's foghorn sounding three times—the "sinking ship" indicator.

I screamed like a total girl as we scrambled around the Sky Deck looking for life jackets, but luckily nobody noticed. We were all screaming.

"Rich people first," London bellowed, shoving me aside, as the four of us tried to pummel our way through an exit door. Her force sent me sprawling. Zack, Cody, and London tumbled forward.

As I picked myself up off the floor, wondering if any bones were broken, I heard shouts and splashing. The other three had fallen into the hot tub on the Sun Deck below. I looked around, aware that my hair was flapping around me in the ocean breeze. The deck was deserted. My baseball cap lay a few feet away.

When I was satisfied I was still in one piece (which was only _slightly_ disappointing as a personal injury lawsuit against London would have been worth millions), I retrieved my cap, tucked my hair up underneath and went to go find my new friends. _Whew, that was close_.

I must have taken a wrong turn because it took me ages to find my way back to the cabin. I wandered across four different decks, and up and down countless sets of stairs, before I found myself back in our narrow hallway. By then I was completely out of breath and ready for a shower.

The cabin was empty. Privacy at last! I shook out my hair and started to pull off my sweaty t-shirt.

At that moment, Zack stepped out of the bathroom, looking freshly showered, wearing only a towel. "Dude, you're a girl!" he blurted out, jaw dropping, eyes bugging. I'm pretty sure I had the same expression. The towel-only look really suited him.

My head was a jumble as I tried to think of a logical reply. "Um, that explains SO much!" Nope, definitely not logical.

Zack took a step closer to me, and I felt my cheeks flaming from the embarrassment and awkwardness of the situation. He was standing right in front me of me now.

"OK, OK," I relented, unable to think of a plausible lie. Taking a deep breath, I began to spill my guts. I told him the whole story, finishing up with "And everything was going fine until you ruined it!"

Now that I'd told him, I was aware how ridiculous it all sounded. How had I ever thought this scam would work? I wanted to crawl under my bed in shame.

"Ruined it?" Zack echoed, his left eyebrow quirking. "Bailey, I don't think anything is actually 'ruined'." He sat down next to me on the bed. Our faces were inches apart. Dizziness threatened to overwhelm me. I think "swoon" is the appropriate verb.

"Please, Zack you can't tell anybody about this!" I pleaded, grabbing his hands. "If Moseby and Tuttweiller find out I'm boy, I'll get sent back to Kettlecorn."

Zack shot me a charming smile. "Don't worry, Bailey. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you, thank you!" I was so relieved that I flung my arms around him. He hugged me back. _Bailey, stop it_, I told myself. _You're here to learn_, not_ to fool around with your incredibly hot roommate._

I barely even heard the knock on the cabin door. "Zack?" Cody's voice arose from the other side. "Do you still want to trade roommates?"

Zack and I looked at each other. We sat there, silently, eyes locked. Then we both burst out laughing and fell backwards onto the bed. The decision was unanimous. Neither of us was going anywhere.

"Zack?" Cody again. "What are you guys doing in there?"

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**A/N: Ultimately I decided to postpone Zack and Bailey's first kiss. I didn't want her to look easy, and I thought Zack would be drawn to a girl who was more of a challenge. Do you guys agree? Xoxoxo - Ellie**


	3. Chapter 3: Alternate Footsies Scene

**A/N: First off, I really want to thank you guys for voting for **_**Just One of the Guys**_** as the Best **_**Suite Life on Deck**_** Story, and Zack & Bailey as Best Other Pairing and Best Kiss (woo hoo! :) in the Suite Life Readers' Choice Awards. Such an honour, so thanks again!**

**Addison was destined for Cody in the original plan for this story. Here is the scene in which they would have begun drifting together.

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**Just One of the Guys: Alternate Footsies Scene

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After the octopus incident, Zack behaved himself in the lab. He still fell asleep and/or goofed off in most of our other classes, but he was a model student in the lab. We went back to being lab partners about a week later, and Cody paired up with Addison, leaving Woody and London to puzzle through on their own.

And speaking of Woody, he was responsible for the next close call. On the last Friday in September, we had a huge Mexican buffet. Cody had been dreading it all week because Woody had sworn to wow us with his rendition of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"—another lengthy classic rock tune.

Now Woody sat shovelling burritos and refried beans into his mouth, as though he were preparing for a famine.

"Can I stay with you and Bailey tonight?" Cody begged Zack. "I'll sleep on the floor. Heck, I'll even sleep in the bathtub."

I looked over Woody's shoulder at Zack wondering what he would say. There was no way he would condemn his own twin brother to that kind of torture. But before Zack could answer, Woody interrupted. "Zack, are you playing footsies with me?" he asked, mouth wide open, bits of refried bean flying in all directions.

My cheeks burned, and Zack choked so hard that Cody had to pound his back several times. "I thought you were Addison," he spluttered when he could finally speak. Obviously he thought he'd been playing footsies with _me_.

"Ew, gross," snarled Addison, sending a dirty look at Zack. Cody also glared at Zack.

"I'm outta here." Addison picked up her plate and moved to another table. "Gross" is the right word. It's common knowledge Woody has eight toes on his left foot.

"Sorry." Zack shot a sideways look at me, and suddenly I found myself choking, too.

"You guys are all disgusting," Cody proclaimed and went to sit with Addison.

In case, you're wondering, Cody was spared from a night of noxious fumes, Zack and I were spared from having our secret discovered, and we were all spared from a classic rock symphony. Woody ate so much at the buffet that he got sick and had to spend the night in the ship's infirmary.

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**A/N: Later, after the original story plan had been completely retooled, I realized Addison might not have minded Zack playing footsies with her if other girls also found him very attractive. Thus, Addison became Bailey's nemesis instead of Cody's love interest.**

**Sorry for the short installment today. I've been hard at work on the two-part sequel, and will post the next Alternate Chapter on Wednesday. Thanks for all the reviews so far. I love hearing what you guys think of these different plot directions. Xoxoxo – Ellie. **


	4. Chapter 4: Alternate Titanic Kiss

**A/N: "I'm the Queen of the World!" is the shortest chapter in **_**Just One of the Guys**_**. This is mostly because I couldn't figure out how to end it, so I just let it stand as a cementing moment in Zack and Bailey's relationship before everything began to fall apart. Here are a couple of different endings I considered for an earlier draft of the chapter.**

**Also, I know some of you guys are anxious for a sequel, but please bear with me through this Alternates series, or sign up for an Author Alert. The sequel requires some extra research and I tend to write chapters out of order (often starting with the final chapters), so I haven't finished the beginning yet.

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**Just One of the Guys: Alternate **_**Titanic**_** Kiss

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I've been tossing and turning for hours now. Sighing, I climb out of bed and pad over to the porthole, careful not to trip over any of the stuff Zack has left lying around—skateboard, monogrammed golf clubs, video games. Not that he'd wake up. Zack is a pretty heavy sleeper.

All I can see out the window is total blackness. The moon is hiding behind clouds. Too bad I missed the sunset tonight. If there's anything I've learned in three months at sea, it's that I'm a sucker for sunsets.

[***]

Zack and I celebrated two months on the _S.S. Tipton_ by heading up to the Starlight Deck. That's the top-most deck. We'd also almost reached our two-month anniversary (although I wasn't about to say so).

"It's so beautiful up here!" I sighed, gazing at the sky. The ship had just left a port of call on the coast of Mexico. The early November sky was awash with pinks, purples, and oranges. The sun blazed like a ball of gold as it sank towards the sea. Rows of cornfields have nothing on a Caribbean sunset, believe me.

"We never saw anything like this in Boston." Zack wrapped his arms around me, and my heart literally soared just like in a romance novel (the super-cliché kind with an incredible sunset on the cover). The only unromantic part of this scene was that instead of a gorgeous dress, I was wearing another outfit of baggy jeans and an equally baggy hoodie.

I stood on the railing, revelling in being young, in love, and completely free. As I stretched out my arms into the salt-tinged wind, a cheesy thought occurred to me.

Zack must have read my mind. "Go ahead," he said, tickling my ear with his lips. "I know you want to."

And so I did. I took a deep breath and yelled out "I'm the Queen of the World!"

At that moment, a gust whipped my baseball cap away and my hair fluttered around us. I didn't care. Nobody was going to see us up here.

I climbed down from the railing and turned to face him. "I'm such a geek," I giggled.

"Yes, you are, sweet thang." Zack agreed, the corners of his mouth quirking like he was trying not to laugh at me. He kissed my nose, and then we kissed again. He always called me "sweet thang."

I was lost in another lengthy kiss when I heard Zack say, "Oh hey, Mr. Moseby." My heart stopped beating. If I'd still been standing on the railing, I would have surely fallen overboard. When I could breathe again, I saw no furious-looking Mr. Moseby, only Zack cracking up. _So typical of him._

"That was NOT funny!" I yelled, pushing him against the railing. "I almost had a heart attack!"

"But the look on your face was priceless," said Zack. Then he grabbed me and kissed me again.

We stayed on the Starlight Deck until just the tip of the sun glowed at the edge of the horizon.

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**A/N: This prank seemed too mean and immature, even for Zack.**

Alternate Ending

"Yes, you are, sweet thang." Zack agreed, the corners of his mouth quirking like he was trying not to laugh at me. He kissed my nose, and then we kissed again. He always called me "sweet thang."

We stayed on the Starlight Deck until just the tip of the sun glowed at the edge of the horizon.

As we turned to leave, I took another deep breath. "Zack, I love you." There, I'd said it.

I don't think I started to breathe again until Zack said, "I love you, too. Bailey." We kissed against the railing until the sunset had completely faded.

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**A/N: Zack felt too OOC with enough communication skills and emotional sensitivity to pull off a functional relationship. I also decided to avoid any three-word declarations. While Zack and Bailey are very much in love by the end of the final published version, they never specifically say "I love you" to each other.**

**Since Zailey did win "Best Kiss" in the Suite Life Readers' Choice Awards, here's some background info. In addition to Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater's iconic sunset kiss in **_**Titanic**_**, this scene was also inspired by Joey Potter and Eddie Dooling's good-bye kiss at sunset by a beach in LA at the end of the **_**Dawson's Creek**_** Season 6 episode "Rock Bottom," stopping in Columbus Circle, New York on a rainy Saturday morning with the CP/BF, and a truly amazing, romantic sunset over the Mediterranean Sea (absolutely worth seeing if you get the chance) in Marseille, France.**


	5. Chapter 5: Alt Cheerleader Pillowfights

**A/N: "Flowers and Chocolate" is one of my favourite episodes from the first season of **_**The Suite Life on Deck**_** and I really wanted to include it in **_**Just One of the Guys**_**. Here is an early attempt at this, but it just didn't seem to fit.

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**Just One of the Guys: Alternate **_**Cheerleader Pillowfights

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Midterms were soon under way, and it took all my energy to focus on schoolwork instead of daydreaming about Zack. My thoughts had been fuzzy ever since our evening on the Starlight Deck. Whenever Ms. Tutweiller called on me in class, I had to think carefully to avoid saying something clueless and London-like. As much fun as our secret life was, I still cared about getting good grades. Nonetheless, we were bound to slip up again.

So I wasn't exactly surprised when Woody met up with us one morning as we were leaving for class. "Did you guys have a pillow fight last night?" he asked.

Cody joined in the confrontation. "Yeah, we are heard all this giggling and stuff." Both his tone and facial expression could be described as suspicious.

_Uh oh_... I sneaked a look at Zack to see if we were busted. We had indeed had a pillow fight. It had taken me ages to pick the feathers out of my hair.

Luckily Zack is a quick thinker—despite being such an unmotivated student. "That's 'cuz we were watching _Tears in My Handbag_ on Bailey's laptop," he announced after only a moment of hesitation. "You know, the prequel to _Flowers & Chocolate_? Natasha and Michelle are still best friends and have a huge pillow fight in their lingerie."

"Yeah, man, that scene is real hot," I contributed, trying to curve my hands to make a lady shape.

Woody seemed accept this lameness. "I loved _Flowers & Chocolate_! I hope they play it again for Movie Night."

Cody still looked skeptical. Or maybe he was just thinking back to the fiasco of that particular Movie Night.

I hadn't been there, but had been filled in on the details. Bob and Barbara, Zack and Cody's friends from Boston, had come for a visit over a long weekend in October, along with London's friend Chelsea. We were back in the Caribbean by then, and Mom had insisted I spend the long weekend at Cousin Cletus's gator farm outside Miami. It was my first time away from Zack since arriving at Seven Seas High. I was afraid everyone would notice my eyes were red from crying, but they were all too excited about seeing familiar faces.

Barbara and Cody had dated up until Cody left for sea school. However, it didn't take long for the truth to come out that Barbara was now dating Bob. Then Cody had pretended Addison was his girlfriend, without telling her, just to make Barbara jealous. The cowpatty had hit the fan while the gang was watching _Flowers & Chocolate_ on the Sun Deck. Both Addison and Barbara had been furious with Cody. Addison seemed to have forgiven him by now. Or at least, she was back to being his lab partner.

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**A/N: In the original story plan, Cody and Addison were going to become a couple and then sadly break up when she had to go home due to either sugar-induced insulin shock or a severe allergic reaction to an exotic fruit. Zack and Bailey would break up around the same time, due to her being mad at him for pulling a prank with Woody that caused a broken anchor (mentioned in "Mom and Dad on Deck"). Cody and Bailey, both broken-hearted, would hang out together more, leading her to reveal that she was really a girl and tired of masquerading as a guy. He would think up a plan for "Bailey" to return to Kettlecorn due to a farm emergency and for a "new girl" to move into Addison's room. Bailey would be so thrilled that she'd kiss Cody, but they would both feel guilty since she'd dated Zack.**

**The story would have ended with Cody leaving the ship to join a work-study university program through Bhanu Kapatu Industries seen in "The Mommy and the Swami," Zack and Woody becoming roommates, and Bailey starting the new year looking forward to being a girl again and having a new roommate. The CP/BF vetoed this ending as too depressing and a new creative direction took shape, resulting in the final published version. So tell me, guys—would you have preferred to read the original story?**


	6. Chapter 6: Alternate First Fight

**A/N: Here is an earlier version of Zack and Bailey's first fight and the introduction of Maddie. I also considered various directions for Bailey and Cody's conversation before their pool game on the Sky Deck, plus a slightly different ending for this chapter.

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**Just One of the Guys: Alternate First Fight

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**

Well, I shouldn't have expected the course of true love to run smoothly at age 16. Who know, maybe it never does. I pinned the photo back in its place, remembering the fateful day I walked into our cabin after the Geography midterm. I was pretty sure I'd aced the midterm and was in a good mood.

Zack was tapping away on his laptop. I pulled off my baseball cap and leaned down so that my hair ponytail draped against his cheek. "Whatcha doin?" I asked sweetly, putting my arms around him.

"Just writing an email," he replied in a completely normal tone. Then I froze. Right there, near the top of the screen, were the words "Hey sweet thang." Since we'd been dating, _I_ was the one he called "sweet thang"!

"What the hell is this?" I demanded, pulling away roughly. "Who are you calling 'sweet thang'?"

Zack seemed nonplussed. "It's just an email to Maddie."

Maddie Fitzpatrick! The candy counter girl at the Tipton. I might have known. Although Zack hardly ever mentioned her, I knew from Cody and London that Zack had had a crush on her for ages. She was three years older than Zack, and had apparently never given him the time of day. But then why was he writing emails to her, and calling her "sweet thang"?

Tears burned my eyes as I asked him these two critical questions.

He turned to look at me, still as clueless as ever. "Bailey, are you seriously upset about this? Maddie and I are just friends, you know that."

"Then why are you calling her 'sweet thang'?" I was starting to sob. I couldn't help it. We'd been having such a good time together these past two months. Now I feared my early instincts had right been and Zack was just a player.

"I, um, I..." Zack actually seemed flustered now. He closed up the laptop and set it on his desk. So he _was_ hiding something.

This made me cry harder. "I thought I was your 'sweet thang.' " I was aware that I sounded pathetic, like a wronged heroine in a stupid cheesy romance novel, the kind with a sunset blazing across the cover. But my feelings were hurt.

Zack turned to face me. "You know, I was raised by a woman, so this kind of irrational behaviour doesn't faze me."

You know the expression "I saw red?" Well, that was _exactly_ what I saw at that moment. "Go to hell, Zack!" I yelled. Grabbing my baseball cap off my bed, I jammed it over my head and shoved my ponytail underneath. Then I turned and stormed out of our cabin.

I hadn't stormed two steps before I ran smack into Cody.

"Bailey, what's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Nothing." I swiped at my cheeks, trying to hide my very unmanly tears. "I'm not cryin'. Everything's hunky dory, man."

I wanted to shove push my way past Cody so I could find somewhere to be alone and cry my eyes out. But Cody's hand was on my shoulder.

"Did you and Zack have a fight?" Concern was evident all over his features.

Why would he ask me _that_? "Yeah, he um..." Without Zack there to produce a snappy explanation, I had no idea how to answer in a way that wouldn't reveal my true identity. "He used up the last of my shaving cream. I just hate it when he does that!"

Oh, that was _lame_. It was definitely game over for me now. I may as well start packing for Kettlecorn. Except that would mean going back into the cabin and facing Zack.

"You _shave_?" Cody sounded amazed.

OR

Cody looked at me closely then. "Do you even shave?" he asked curiously.

OR

To my surprise, Cody laughed. "Zack does that to me all the time. C'mon, let's go up to the Sky Deck."

I followed Cody, just relieved that my secret was still safe. "Why did you ask me if Zack and I had been fighting?" I had to know.

Cody shrugged. "Well, you and Zack have been like best friends since we started here. I figured if anyone had upset you, it would be him."

Fair enough. Now was my chance to find out more about Maddie.

[After Bailey and Cody's pool game in the Sky Deck game room]

Zack was waiting for me when I got back to our cabin. "Here, Bailey," he said, holding out a huge bouquet of red roses. "I'm sorry about the email, I didn't mean to upset you."

The roses were beautiful and Zack did look sincere. And after my long conversation with Cody, I at least knew Maddie was no threat to me. 'Thanks, Zack," I said, hugging him tightly. "I'm really sorry, too. I totally overreacted."

Zack removed my baseball cap and ran his fingers through my hair. "I don't want to fight with you," he said then, looking me straight in the eyes. "You know, we'll both be kicked out of Seven Seas High if we get caught."

I hugged him again and laid my head on his shoulder. "I don't want to fight with you either, Zack. I love you."

[***]

I meant it when I said it, I reflect now, staring up at the ceiling. But at the same time, I feel a new connection to Cody. We had so much fun tonight. I could really be myself with him—aside from the obvious deception, of course. If only Zack were more like Cody.

_There's that troubling thought again._

[Followed by same text as final published version]

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**A/N: This would have brought us back to the beginning on a slightly different note. This chapter felt too late in the story to address the risk that Zack and Bailey would be expelled from Seven Seas High for their deception. As a serious student, Bailey would have already considered this, as she did in the final published version. And once again, Zack felt too OOC being this sensitive toward Bailey. But re-reading it now, he does seem quite sweet and somewhat believable : ) What do you guys think? Thanks as always for your thoughts and ideas! Xoxoxo – Ellie**

**P.S. There's one more alternate chapter left. I have posted a preview chapter for Part 2 of the sequel, but it's in the M-rated forum (so please be warned!). The entire sequel will be T-rated, and certain parts of conversations in this preview chapter will not appear in the final published version.**


	7. Chapter 7: Alternate Mistletoe Kiss

**A/N: The chapter with Bailey and Cody's ill-fated kiss under the mistletoe ended rather abruptly, as some of you pointed out. The CP/BF and I had some disagreements about how it should end. While ultimately I decided to go for something deliberately ambiguous, the earliest version ended on a different note**.

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**Just One of the Guys: Alternate Mistletoe Kiss

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It doesn't take long to see that Cody is the rambling melancholic sort of drunk. "I have a room-mate who farts classic rock," he laments. "Holly threw up when I told her I like her. I'll probably never even see her again. I'm stuck being the towel boy because my stupid brother bankrupted my cash card. And now he may be flunking out. Sea school was supposed to be fun, Bailey. But everything _sucks_" He turns to me and his chin quivers like he's about to cry.

"Hey, buddy," I say lamely, patting his shoulder. I can't even look him in the eye. Woody is the only problem I'm not directly, or indirectly, responsible for. "Things will get better, you'll see." _Although I don't exactly know how…_

"Bailey, you're sush a good guy," Cody is slurring now. "You're like my best friend at Seven Seash High. I can alwaysh count on you, I love you, man."

He throws his arms around me, and I hug him lightly, feeling dizzy with guilt. Cody is still holding onto me when we both look up to see sprigs of mistletoe attached to the party lights crisscrossing the deck. Cody's face teeters toward mine and I pull back instinctively, my mind racing. This is not a scene I ever imagined happening.

_Oh God, what have I done to Cody?_ I can't let him think he's falling for a guy after the fiasco with Holly. This deception has gone way too far. Taking a deep breath, and praying he won't hate me forever, I pull off my hat. My long red hair tumbles down around us.

Cody squints at me, his eyebrows furrowing, mouth hanging open, "Holly?" he manages at last.

"No, it's me, Bailey." Shame burns through me and the words keep flowing. "There is no Holly, just Bailey. I'm a girl. I applied here as a boy because all the girls' spots were taken. I wanted to get away from Kettlecorn."

Cody takes a few moments to digest this. I can tell the alcohol is slowing his ability to process new information. "Does Zack know?" he asks then. The poor thing looks truly dazed.

I nod, sliding further down the shame spiral. I can feel the truth show all over my face. "I made him promise not to tell anyone I'm a girl."

"Oh my God, are you and Zack...?" Cody starts, then breaks off in horror.

"No, we broke up," I say, glad I'm at least not lying about that. I want to tell him that dating Zack was a mistake and that I pretended to be Holly because he, Cody, is the one I want to be with. But before I can say anything more, Cody starts to speak again.

"I don't know who you are, Bailey or Holly or whoever," he says unsteadily. "So I'm just going to go now. I'll, um, talk to you later." He turns and walks toward the elevators, wobbling slightly, holding onto the railing.

I consider running after him, but I know I have to let him go. He's drunk and upset, and all I can hope is that one day I can explain to him how everything happened and got so out of hand.

[***]

"What the hell did you do to Cody?" Zack demands, blocking my path outside Cabin 8-102. "He's in his cabin totally devastated."

This shame spiral is endless. I can't even tell where rock bottom is. "I told him I'm a girl," I say, dread creeping up in my voice. "He was about to kiss me. Obviously I couldn't let him. And, he found out that I'm also Holly." This is the hard part. "I pretended to be Holly so I could go out with him, now that you and I aren't together. But it's not like we were serious anyway, right?"

Zack stares at me as though I've slapped him. "I can't believe you, Bailey," he says. "I kept your secret for months. Cody and I used to tell each other everything, but I kept a huge secret from him for you, just so you wouldn't get in trouble and screw up your perfect school record. And because I wanted you to stay here. Because I really liked you, Bailey. I liked you enough to lie to my own twin brother for months about the best thing that ever happened to me. You're a real piece of work, Bailey Pickett. I wish you'd never been my roommate."

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**A/N: The part where Zack confronts Bailey felt more like an experiment than an actual scene. I could see that it wouldn't lead to a happy ending for anyone. However, this is how I imagined Zack would have reacted if he'd learned the truth about Holly Toledo. What do you guys think? Would you have preferred to see him find out the truth this way? (Btw, Holly's original name was Holly Van Raleigh, after Raleigh, North Carolina :) **

**Well, that's it for the Alternate Chapters! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It's been so much fun to see your impressions of the story that could have been. Xoxoxo – Ellie**


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